Are you growing harmful herbs for cats?
Make sure your herb garden is pet friendly!
When planting an herb garden, you want to improve your health, but by doing so, you can actually harm your cat’s health. Although, herbs can be beneficial for your cat too, there are a few herbs that are poisonous. Some herbs can cause severe complications or death for your cat. Make sure you aren’t planting harmful herbs for cats.
Harmful Herbs for Cats
There are many herbs, such as Alfalfa, that shouldn’t be grown if you have cats because they can thin the blood. These herbs are especially bad for cats with blood clotting problems. Chamomile, Reishi Mushroom and Shitake Mushroom can also thin the blood, as well as Red Clovers. If your cat eats Red Clovers, it can be fatal.
Bilberry can lower a cat’s blood sugar, as well as Dandelion, which are especially bad for cats undergoing hyperglycemic treatment and cats with gallbladder disease. Fever Few reduces the number of platelets in the blood, while Ginkgo Biloba, Ginger and Garlic can increase bleeding
Harmful herbs for cats can alter the blood and blood pressure. Ginseng has shown to raise blood pressure in cats; whereas, Hawthorne Berry lowers blood pressure because it’s a sedative. Licorice and Golden Seal can result in hypertension, and Devil’s Claw can lead to heart disease when consumed by cats.
Numerous herbs can cause kidney and liver damage in cats, especially if they are consumed for a prolonged period of time. Boswellia, Cayenne and Lavender can cause both kidney and liver damage, and Celery Seed can cause kidney disease. Kidney stones can be caused by Yellow Dock use.
Liver damage in cats can be caused by Borage, Colts Foot and Comfrey. Chaparral use can cause very sever liver damage for felines. Liver complications can occur from using Golden Seal and Kava Kava. The liver can become stimulated with Oregon Grape, producing poor results.
Cayenne’s very bad for cats too because it produces complications, such as chronic gastritis and ulcer’s. Kava Kava causes gastrointestinal disturbances for cats, as well as Valerian, Sarsaparilla and Licorice. Stomach upset is a common result of Reishi Mushroom and St. John’s Wort., which can cause a cat to lose its appetite.
Many herbs contain laxative properties for cats, like Aloe, Senna and Turkey Rhubarb. Cascara Sagrada’s another known laxative that also causes cramping and diarrhea, which can also occur with Black Walnut Hulls, Boswellia, Burdock Root and Chickweed. Yellow Dock and Olive Leaf can cause diarrhea for cats also.
There are many herbs that care harmful for cats, so be very careful when choosing which herbs you’ll be growing in your home garden. Although you want to achieve health benefits by growing your own herbs, you don’t want to harm your cat in the process.